# Auxergen

> Official Auxergen business agent. Auxergen is a Maryland-based biotechnology company that develops viral and bacteriophage-based solutions for crop diseases…

## Ask it a question

Auxergen answers for itself at https://api.hailera.com/mcp/auxergen. A client that speaks MCP can
connect to that address; the tool is ask_auxergen and the
protocol is 2026-07-28.

Where this file and the agent disagree, the agent is current.

## About Auxergen

Auxergen overview

Auxergen is a Maryland-based biotechnology company that develops biologic, viral, and bacteriophage-based solutions for agriculture, environmental remediation, and human health.

Mission and vision

- Develop sustainable, biologic alternatives to traditional chemical treatments.
- Address global challenges in agriculture, environmental pollution, and infectious disease.
- Translate rigorous virology and cellular biology research into practical technologies and products.

Key focus areas

- Agricultural biocontrol for plant diseases such as Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) and Pierce's Disease caused by *Xylella fastidiosa*.
- Crop disease management for staple crops, including solutions aimed at rice blight.
- Soil reclamation and environmental bioremediation that neutralize toxic organic compounds and heavy metals in polluted soils.
- Home health and hygiene solutions based on biological disinfectants that neutralize viruses on surfaces and fabrics.
- Analytical assays that accelerate drug discovery and product development, including cannabinoid activity assays in human cells.

Company status and location

- Recognized as a Qualified Maryland Biotechnology Company (QMBC).
- Headquartered at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Mailing address: 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

How Auxergen works with partners

Auxergen collaborates with:

- Agricultural producers and grower organizations.
- Environmental and soil remediation partners.
- Human and animal health product developers.
- Investors interested in sustainable biotechnology and biologic solutions.

For specific partnership or investment questions, please contact Auxergen directly using the details in the contact document.

Source: https://www.auxergen.com

## Where Auxergen works

Primary contact

- Phone: 443-887-4110
- Email: info@auxergen.com

Mailing and physical address

Rita Rossi Colwell Center 701 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202 USA

Media contact

For media and press inquiries:

- Name: Michael Feehley
- Email: michael@auxergen.com
- Phone: 443-929-9757

Contact form subjects

Via the contact form on auxergen.com, you can select:

- Schedule appointment
- Investment question
- Other

For urgent or time-sensitive matters, use phone or direct email in addition to the form.

Lists Baltimore, Republic, Columbia, Mission, Marblehead, Ann Arbor, Hopkins, and Berkeley as a location. Names Maryland, Washington, and United States as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

Source: https://www.auxergen.com

## Leadership and scientific team

Founders and executive leadership

Dr. Ting-Yu (Ting) Yeh, M.D. — Co-founder and Chief Science Officer

- Cellular biologist and virologist with experience in both clinical medicine and agricultural science.
- Former researcher at Weill Cornell Medical School and Johns Hopkins University.
- Research contributions span:
- Virology, including identification of Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) and satellite RNA in the United States and foundational work on RNA recombination and replication competence in plant pathology.
- Molecular motors and oncology, including co-discovery of Dynarrestin as an anti-cancer drug candidate that inhibits cell division and endosome movement.
- Neurology and ophthalmology, including discoveries about the protein Tctex-1 in neuron growth and its role in rhodopsin trafficking, relevant to conditions such as Retinitis Pigmentosa.
- Genetic disorders, including research on how dynactin subunit p62 (DCTN4) variants contribute to the pathogenesis of Cystic Fibrosis.
- Leads Auxergen's strategy to bridge human health and plant biology to address global crises in agriculture and medicine.

Gregory Contreras — CEO and Co-founder

- Serial entrepreneur and executive with experience in advertising, product development, and international operations.
- Professional background includes roles at Corona Plastics, Gemini Consulting, and Young and Rubicam.
- Key achievements at Auxergen include:
- Scaling Auxergen from a laboratory concept into an international enterprise operating within the University of Maryland incubator system.
- Raising approximately $2 million in debt-free capital.
- Building an intellectual property portfolio that includes three patents and 17 peer-reviewed research papers.
- Founding Auxergen S.R.L. in Bari, Italy, to deploy specialized bio-treatments for Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) caused by *Xylella fastidiosa*.
- Leading commercialization strategies for technologies such as CitriPhage™ for citrus canker, soil bioremediation platforms, and phytochemical and skin-age assays.
- Advocate for sustainable biological alternatives to traditional chemicals and a frequent speaker at major industry events, including Bio-International 2024.

Research team and trainees

Auxergen works with a diverse team of research staff, students, and interns from institutions including:

- Johns Hopkins University
- Harvard University
- Columbia University (Barnard College)
- University of California (Berkeley and Davis)
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and other Taiwanese universities
- Multiple U.S. and international high schools

Team members contribute to projects such as:

- Marburg virus and Mpox recombination
- Phage–bacteria interactions and adaptive evolution
- Trichomonas vaginalis satellite RNAs
- Bat-borne HKU5-CoV-2 coronavirus and other zoonotic disease risks
- Structure and co-evolution of bacteriophage PSF13 and bacterial TpfC

For current leadership and team details, please refer to the About Us page on auxergen.com.

Source: https://www.auxergen.com

## Products and technologies

Auxergen develops biologic and bacteriophage-based solutions across agriculture, environmental remediation, home health, and analytical assays.

Agricultural technologies

XylePhage™

- Agricultural solution to defeat Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) and Pierce's Disease.
- Targets *Xylella fastidiosa* in major olive oil- and wine-producing regions.

XanthaPhage

- Agricultural solution to combat plant diseases such as rice blight.
- Aims to improve crop yields for countries that depend on rice-based diets.

MarlePhage

- Soil reclamation technology.
- Neutralizes toxic compounds and heavy metals in polluted soils to support a healthier environment.

Home health

KataNase™

- Bio-disinfectant for home and other environments.
- Neutralizes 99.9% of known viruses on solid surfaces, including fabrics.
- Intended to promote hygiene and safety when used as directed.

Cannabinoid and assay technologies

Cannabinoid Biokinetic Activity Assay

- Assay that measures cannabinoid activity in human cells.
- Designed to help expedite drug discovery and product development in cannabinoid-related products.

Notes

- This agent does not provide pricing, ordering, or regulatory approval information.
- For current availability, use cases, and regulatory status, please contact Auxergen directly.

Source: https://www.auxergen.com

## Research highlights and press coverage

Auxergen's work in virology, bacteriophage biology, and parasitology has been featured in scientific conferences and journals.

ASM Microbe 2026 presentations

At the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe 2026 conference in Washington, D.C., Auxergen presented two high-impact poster studies:

Natural recombination in Marburg virus

- Provided direct evidence of genetic recombination within the Filoviridae family (including Marburg and Ebola viruses) during human transmission.
- Analyzed Marburg virus genomes from the 1999–2000 Democratic Republic of the Congo outbreak.
- Identified extensive linkage disequilibrium and recombinant SNP pairs, mapping numerous recombination breakpoints across the viral genome.
- Demonstrated how multiple superinfection events can reshape viral proteins, RNA structures, and long-range interactions during an outbreak.
- Highlighted recombinant SNP pairs and haploblocks as robust, error-resistant markers for tracing viral lineages and outbreak dynamics.

Discovery of an iron-binding viral protein in *Trichomonas vaginalis* virus

- Characterized a novel protein (p7) encoded by satellite RNAs in *Trichomonas vaginalis* virus (TVV).
- Reported the first iron-binding protein identified in any virus.
- Showed that p7 binds Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ through a histidine/cysteine pocket.
- Described a conserved Sx(I/L)P motif that enables interaction with host microtubule end-binding proteins (EB1/EB2).
- Suggested that environmental iron levels may regulate RNA transport in TVV, with implications for future therapeutic strategies.

Genetics July issue cover feature

- Auxergen's research on viral recombination and genetic haplotype analysis has been featured on the cover of the July issue of the journal *Genetics*.
- The cover image highlights haplotype blocks of different monkeypox/mpox viruses and their linkage disequilibrium plot.
- The work uses recombinant SNP pairs (RSPs) as novel markers to score recombination frequency and genetic linkage in viruses.

Research scope

Auxergen's broader research program includes:

- Viral recombination in emerging and high-consequence pathogens.
- Bacteriophage biology and phage-based therapeutics.
- Host–pathogen interactions in protozoan parasites.
- Translational pathways from fundamental virology to applied technologies in agriculture, environmental remediation, and human health.

For access to publications, posters, or press releases, please visit the news and articles section on auxergen.com or contact Auxergen directly.

Source: https://www.auxergen.com

## What Auxergen has not published yet

These are things people ask Auxergen that its published information does not yet cover.

- prices
- availability
- investment returns
- future tax benefits or eligibility
- regulatory approval status
- clinical or health outcomes
- delivery or implementation timelines

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.

## Where this comes from

https://www.auxergen.com